Gillian Taylforth's fiancé spiked with date rape drug

Gillian Taylforth's fiancé David Fairbairn was allegedly drugged with Rohypnol at the end of last month

EastEnders' Gillian Taylforth's fiancé was allegedly spiked with a date rape drug prior to the British Soap Awards.

David Fairbairn, 60 - who is on medication for cancer - was rushed to hospital on May 28 after he was found unconscious in a gutter shortly after he was seen downing drinks at a bar in East London for pre-award celebrations.

A source told The Sun newspaper: "It was only much later that a passer-by saw him lying in the street and called police, thinking they'd seen a corpse. He remembers nothing beyond the bar, where the cast were all drinking in a roped-off VIP area. Gillian and David were both absolutely horrified that someone could have done such a vile thing to him."

Police are currently hunting through CCTV footage to determine what happened after doctors found high levels of Rohypnol - mostly used to treat insomnia - in his blood.

A spokesman for David said: 'Dave is unable to comment on this matter. However, he would like to make it clear that he does not suspect anyone at 'EastEnders' of doing this, nor can he state where it happened."

Gillian, 60, met David through mutual friends after the breakdown of her 23-year relationship with her ex-fiancé Geoff Knights in 2009. They've been together for nearly four years and plan to get married next year.

Gillian is best known for playing Kathy Beale - a role she portrayed between 1985 and 2005 - in the BBC One soap after she made a shock return to the Square in 2015.